1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a system and method for processing golf balls. More particularly, this invention relates to a system and method for cleaning and/or transporting a large number of golf balls at high speed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The sport of golf enjoys a continuing increase in popularity at the present time. In addition to facilities on which the game of golf can be played, there are facilities for the practice of various aspects of the sport such as putting greens and driving ranges. The latter type of facility generally consumes a large amount of area since space is typically provided for a golf ball to be driven through the greatest flight distance of which the player is capable. In some instances, in order to reduce the area consumed by such a facility, a barrier such as a net is provided to stop driven golf balls in mid-flight. In either type of facility, a player will typically purchase a returnable container with a plurality of golf balls which he will then proceed to hit, in sequence, from a single location. It is also typical for a large number of players to drive golf balls from a plurality of spaced locations along one side of the facility in generally parallel directions.
Accordingly, it is common for a great number of golf balls to be in use at a given time. The golf balls are periodically or continuously collected and returned to a central location, often referred to as a club house or range house, where they are again loaded into containers and sold to be used again in a similar fashion. To expedite collection of the golf balls, mechanized equipment is typically used. A common type of equipment includes a tractor with a sweeping device which sweeps the balls into a basket. When the basket is filled, the operator will then drive the tractor to the range house carrying the balls to be reused.
This procedure has several evident drawbacks. First, the collection machinery will also pick up stones and will increase the amount of dirt or mud which adheres to the balls and which must be removed before reuse. Second, the use of such a piece of complicated and expensive machinery and a skilled operator to perform the transportation phase of this operation is extremely inefficient; the inefficiency being increased by the circuitous route which must often be followed in the interest of safety and to avoid interference with use of the driving range by players.
Further, after the balls are returned to the range house, they must be cleaned prior to reuse. Mechanized devices for performing this cleaning operation are known in the art. One such device has two counter-rotating disks with textured surfaces which are spaced apart by approximately the diameter of a golf ball (1.62 inches). A stream of water is used to irrigate the golf ball while it is propelled between the counter-rotating disks. Either fresh water must be used or, more typically, filtration and recirculation must be provided. Other devices for performing this function are known but such other devices are also characterized by providing a specific path for balls through the device such that the balls will be cleaned in sequence. These ball cleaning devices are therefore subject to jamming, requiring nearly constant supervision of an operator, and of low throughput, cleaning a relatively small number of balls per minute. There is also a trade-off between capacity and period of immersion of the balls as well as the further disadvantage that dirt and mud will tend to dry on the balls prior to cleaning, increasing the tendency for such mud or dirt to adhere even more strongly to the balls.
Since driving ranges are often relatively large facilities at which many players may concurrently practice, the labor and capital expenditure requirements of processing the golf balls are relatively high. Further, when the cleaning and redistribution operations are concentrated at a single central location, such as a range house, the labor-intensive phases of these operations present a physical limitation on how many players can be accommodated. If these operations are distributed between several range houses, variations n distribution may causes shortages of balls or require an increased number to be in use to avoid such shortages, again tending to increase the required capital expenditure.
Accordingly, it is seen that there is a need to increase the degree of automation of driving ranges, particularly in the operations of cleaning and transportation of golf balls. Since driving ranges exist where more than 60,000 golf balls may be driven in a single day, there is also a need to increase the capacity of systems performing these functions to levels where such numbers can be accommodated. Similarly, a higher degree of automation which will permit the use of driving ranges by more players and permit the increase in size of newly constructed driving ranges is needed.